Robin, this is for you.
It looks like I have several months worth of catching up to do. Long story short, things have just been so busy that writing lost its appeal for a good long while. But now that the weather is *supposed* to be getting cooler, and hockey season is around the corner, I foresee a little more time to put pen to paper.
Yes. The weather is SUPPOSED to be getting cooler. We're SUPPOSED to have more rain. Today's high? 90. Tomorrow? 90. Rain? Surely you jest. This has been going on all summer. In fact, the last month we had that matched its average precipitation was April. Here are the departures from normal rain for Washington's Dulles Airport since then:
May: -3.88"
June: -1.15"
July: -1.82"
August: -2.21"
September to date: -2.29"
Ordinarily I would not mind. We've had great weather to get out and enjoy the outdoors. My beef is this: Two thirds of my summer water bill was spent trying to keep my flower beds from dying, and they still look like Nosferatu's entry in the Garden Club. Another anecdote... I hung my half-opened umbrella on the inside handle of the front closet after the last time it rained, which was weeks ago, and then I shut the door. Yesterday, I opened the front closet for some unknown reason, and this black thing lunged out at me. I thought it was a dog, and I thought it was going to kill me, and I'm very glad that I didn't have to change my boxers after having that heart attack. That's the LAST time I hang my umbrella in that particular location.
Anyway... Where have I been all this time? How about a multiple choice question. Was it: A) Wachusett, Massachusetts, B) Omaha, Nebraska, C) Front Royal, Virginia, D) Stanardsville, Virginia, E) Erie, Pennsylvania, F) Anchorage, Alaska, G) All of the above.
Ummm... yeah. All of them. In order: Wedding, Work, Camping+Canoeing, Camping+Wine Festival, Visit the Family, Work+Just a bit of personal exploration time.
The most unique was obviously Alaska. I wish I had gotten to spend more time up there, but when work sends you, and when you've already planned your vacation budget for a Colorado ski trip... well... do what you can on per diem and be grateful for the opportunity. The landscape up there is nothing short of awe-inspiring. I got to hike around Cook inlet and up Flat Top Mountain, which was simply incredible. I was hoping to go kayaking around some glaciers, but the weather didn't cooperate for that. I still got to take a glacier cruise on a luxury catamaran though. They handle wind and waves a little better. :-) So now I know what to do when I go back. Check out a few pictures of Alaska!
And I know you're all itching to hear about how close I am to getting married. The answer is: Exactly as close as I was 30 years ago. *sigh* At least it isn't for lack of trying anymore. Why, just last weekend I actually went on one of those... you know... it's an event, you plan it ahead of time... a guy and a girl do something together... what the heck is that thing called? .... Ah, a DATE! Yes, I was on a DATE! And the girl... wow. She's really quite remarkable. She's kinda tall, ten kinds of hot, well educated, has a great job (even if her life seems to be a bit owned by it)... and on our date, we discovered that we have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever. DAMMIT! I tried. I tried to stay calm and relaxed, confident, happy. I tried to aim the topics of conversation toward her, I left my upcoming thousand-dollar-plus dental problems (and the associated rage)* out of the discussion... and I even wore my good pants! Still, I felt like a salmon swimming upstream -- the chances of spawning dwarfed by the chances of being eaten by a bear. I did write back to her, and I sent her a few compliments, but I don't expect I'll hear from her ever again. *shrugs* I don't think there is anything else I could have done.
Well, I'm tired, and I promised myself I'd start getting to work early again. Traffic has been abominable recently, and in both directions, too. I need to waste less of my time commuting.
Cheers, people. (Speaking of cheers... after all these wine festivals, I'm up to 20 bottles of wine in the house. :-) But I don't want to open any of them! Gah!)
*Helen Hunt said it best: "Fucking HMO bastard pieces of shit!" (As Good As It Gets)
Yes. The weather is SUPPOSED to be getting cooler. We're SUPPOSED to have more rain. Today's high? 90. Tomorrow? 90. Rain? Surely you jest. This has been going on all summer. In fact, the last month we had that matched its average precipitation was April. Here are the departures from normal rain for Washington's Dulles Airport since then:
May: -3.88"
June: -1.15"
July: -1.82"
August: -2.21"
September to date: -2.29"
Ordinarily I would not mind. We've had great weather to get out and enjoy the outdoors. My beef is this: Two thirds of my summer water bill was spent trying to keep my flower beds from dying, and they still look like Nosferatu's entry in the Garden Club. Another anecdote... I hung my half-opened umbrella on the inside handle of the front closet after the last time it rained, which was weeks ago, and then I shut the door. Yesterday, I opened the front closet for some unknown reason, and this black thing lunged out at me. I thought it was a dog, and I thought it was going to kill me, and I'm very glad that I didn't have to change my boxers after having that heart attack. That's the LAST time I hang my umbrella in that particular location.
Anyway... Where have I been all this time? How about a multiple choice question. Was it: A) Wachusett, Massachusetts, B) Omaha, Nebraska, C) Front Royal, Virginia, D) Stanardsville, Virginia, E) Erie, Pennsylvania, F) Anchorage, Alaska, G) All of the above.
Ummm... yeah. All of them. In order: Wedding, Work, Camping+Canoeing, Camping+Wine Festival, Visit the Family, Work+Just a bit of personal exploration time.
The most unique was obviously Alaska. I wish I had gotten to spend more time up there, but when work sends you, and when you've already planned your vacation budget for a Colorado ski trip... well... do what you can on per diem and be grateful for the opportunity. The landscape up there is nothing short of awe-inspiring. I got to hike around Cook inlet and up Flat Top Mountain, which was simply incredible. I was hoping to go kayaking around some glaciers, but the weather didn't cooperate for that. I still got to take a glacier cruise on a luxury catamaran though. They handle wind and waves a little better. :-) So now I know what to do when I go back. Check out a few pictures of Alaska!
And I know you're all itching to hear about how close I am to getting married. The answer is: Exactly as close as I was 30 years ago. *sigh* At least it isn't for lack of trying anymore. Why, just last weekend I actually went on one of those... you know... it's an event, you plan it ahead of time... a guy and a girl do something together... what the heck is that thing called? .... Ah, a DATE! Yes, I was on a DATE! And the girl... wow. She's really quite remarkable. She's kinda tall, ten kinds of hot, well educated, has a great job (even if her life seems to be a bit owned by it)... and on our date, we discovered that we have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever. DAMMIT! I tried. I tried to stay calm and relaxed, confident, happy. I tried to aim the topics of conversation toward her, I left my upcoming thousand-dollar-plus dental problems (and the associated rage)* out of the discussion... and I even wore my good pants! Still, I felt like a salmon swimming upstream -- the chances of spawning dwarfed by the chances of being eaten by a bear. I did write back to her, and I sent her a few compliments, but I don't expect I'll hear from her ever again. *shrugs* I don't think there is anything else I could have done.
Well, I'm tired, and I promised myself I'd start getting to work early again. Traffic has been abominable recently, and in both directions, too. I need to waste less of my time commuting.
Cheers, people. (Speaking of cheers... after all these wine festivals, I'm up to 20 bottles of wine in the house. :-) But I don't want to open any of them! Gah!)
*Helen Hunt said it best: "Fucking HMO bastard pieces of shit!" (As Good As It Gets)